Olympics spurs domestic growth in ice and snow equipment production

By Yuan Shenggao | China Daily | Updated: 2019-08-01 07:36

China plans to develop homemade ice and snow equipment as the winter sports market, driven by the upcoming Winter Olympics, booms.

By 2022, sales revenue generated by the ice and snow equipment industry is expected to surpass 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion) with an average annual growth of 20 percent, according to a three-year plan starting from 2019, released by multiple central government departments.

However, the number of domestic brands with high-quality and global influence is quite limited. The country aims to improve circumstances by helping related companies and building more industrial parks.

Ice and snow equipment includes those used in ice rinks and ski resorts, such as snowmakers, snowmobiles, cableways and electric conveyor belts, as well as those for individual usage, including ski suits, helmets and protective gear. Most renowned brands are from developed countries like France, Switzerland, Italy, the United States, Finland and Japan.

According to the official website of Thaiwoo Ski Resort and Alpine Park in Hebei province, the ski equipment it provides is from a company in Austria. Its veneer is from a renowned Slovenian brand and its chairlift is from France.

While domestic ski wear brands such as Toread, Bosideng and Running River have established a reputation in the market, their sales are far less than their overseas competitors.

The plan called on local governments to promote research on design, production and application of ice and snow equipment, by optimizing their business environment, supporting financial services and encouraging mergers and acquisition to improve competitiveness of the whole industry.

Northern provinces, such as Hebei, Jilin and Heilongjiang, whose climate is suitable for winter sports, have taken efforts to develop industrial parks and clusters involving ice and snow equipment manufacturing.

Financial institutes and industrial investment institutions will also enjoy preferential policies in purchase, tax and technological innovation when backing ice and snow equipment companies.

In September 2018, the General Administration of Sport of China released another plan to increase the Chinese winter sports population to 300 million by 2022, when the 2022 Winter Olympics is scheduled to open in Beijing and Zhangjiakou, Hebei province.

Lin Xianpeng, a professor with Beijing Sport University, told Economic Daily, that when demand for services and consumption related to skiing grows, the ice and snow equipment market will boom as more companies invest in the segment.